Life after Hell
by Drkjester
Summary: Ranma's world is crumbling around him and sanity seems fleeting. So many dead friends and family. What can he do? It is just him and the other refugees he calls family and friends. xover with tenchi, maybe more later.
1. Prologue

A.N. - Sorry if you have read this once as I had trouble updating. I just replaced it all together with a more grammaticaly corrected version. I will take more time proof reading my stuff so less problems. Look to the bottom of the page for more AN.

**_Prologue_**

**Nothing could have prepared them for what was to come.**

After one failed attempt at a wedding Ranma and Akane had gotten it right the second time around. With their love no longer hidden the ceremony had been a beautiful event spoke of by Princes and Princess as a fairy tale. Happily ever after was not in their fate though. Their union left others with bitter feelings. While Ranma had been able to reconcile his friendship with Ukyo and Shampoo, even Cologne had felt that their love could no longer be stood against. Many bitter rivals of their past had become their friends and family. But a dark cloud hung over their heads. Those who would not accept the lose of Ranma and even feared him as he had the faced a god and won. The strength and will of Ranma was coveted and if they couldn't have him it left them with but few options they felt, to take him or kill him. Yet they knew to defeat him they would have to first push him over an edge. This would be a dual edged sword they would walk. To demoralize him was the hope, but if they couldn't he would seek vengeance unlike the earth had seen.

A year of marriage and Akane was expecting their first child. The Tendo/Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts was running at full capacity with Ranma teaching and Akane instructing new students. Life was good, then a night happened to change them all forever.

**The fight, Ranma's sorrow.**

It was a late December evening. Ranma and Akane had moved into the master bedroom in the Tendo house. Soun believed it was time for him to step down as head of the household and held let Ranma take over the reigns as patriarch of the family. Akane had gone to bed already as at eight months pregnant she tended to tire easily. Kasumi was cleaning the kitchen from the night's festivities. Nabiki was on winter break from Tokyo University, where she studied business law.

Everything seemed right this night as Genma and Nodoka where headed to the guest room to sleep. Genma had his arms around his wife as the entered the guest quarters. Opening the door Genma's senses went into overdrive. The sake he had drank earlier seemed to be gone as he moved his wife to safety his own back facing their room. He felt the blade enter his back, but he showed no sign of the pain as he smiled at his wife. With his final breath he told his wife to run. Terror streamed through Nodoka as she saw the end of the Chinese sword that had pierced her husband's heart.

A scream that broke the night brought Ranma to full battle readiness. Before anyone could blink he was up the stairs and at his parents room. Standing before him where 3 Amazon women walking towards his mother. Without even thinking of what was happening before him Ranma took his mother in his arms and ran. His mind was wild with wonderment at what he saw, but before he could deal with it, he knew he had to get his mother to safety.

Reaching the steps he saw Soun coming out of what was once Akane's room.

"Take her!" Before Soun had a chance to respond to this Ranma had put his mother in Soun's arms and turned around. "Get them all out now!"

A hand caught his arm as he made to turn back the way he had come. "Ranma…they killed him."

Looking into his mother's eyes he didn't have to ask who the him was. Dread took him for a second then a battle aura encased him. Its brightness force Soun and Nodoka to shield their eyes. Stretching his senses to their utmost limits he took count of how many life signs he could read planning to make his move. With a final look at his father-in-law Ranma let loose with a primal scream.

Moving with speed and grace that had come from a lifetime of training and pushed by anger he ran to his own bedroom. He had felt three ki's where there should only be two. As he opened the door the ki's in the room had fallen to one. With a look to the futon him and his wife shared he saw an Amazon holding a very large and very wicked looking axe.

Blood dripped from the axe as the wielder raised it back up. Seeing his wife lying in a pool of blood that was obviously hers, sanity lost it grip on his mind. An instinct that had only reached him once before surfaced.

**Missing target.**

The Amazon strike forces had struck all over Nerima that evening. They had lost only nine members of this elite invasion force.

"Four at the Tendo/Saotome household, three at the Cat Café and two more at random places in Nerima. The traitorous Cologne and her great-granddaughter Shampoo had escaped though. There were three dead enemies at the Tendo/Saotome household, Ranma's father, his wife and their unborn child. Not the results we had wanted, but Ranma attacked so quickly we barely got the rest of the team out. The agent that made it back said that Ranma had been stabbed and was bleeding heavily as he had left with his wife's body." The young Chinese Amazon finished given her report to the elder beside her.

Maoliu had the support of the Joketsuzoku council to complete her actions. Ranma was a warrior to dangerous to leave alive they had decided when the report of Shampoo's failed attempts to claim him as her husband came back. Cologne had been Maoliu's teacher so she was among the most surprised that the tribal elder had turned her back on the her own people and choose to stay in Japan. Now that she was labeled a traitor and outcast she was among the hunted in Japan this night. The council had come to the conclusion that to take over all of Japan may be the beneficial side quest for their warriors, but first all major threats to their conquest had to be eliminated with extreme prejudice.

"Hunt him and kill him and any with him." Maoliu gave this order without looking at her subordinates.

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A.N. I am sorry if I have upset some of you with how this story started. Please feel free to bast me alive in the review section but other wise any R&R are welcomed as always. I usually update my personal site if fan fic before I send it here (easier to edit screwups there), so feel free to go there (ala profile).  



	2. Nightmares

A.N. - This chapter has been a long time comming and I am happy that it is now moving along nicely. I am 40 done with the next chapter and have outlined the rest of the story. You will get to meet the Tenchi Muyo character in chapter 3 so please be patiant as I am trying not to rush this along. If you are going to say anything about grammer and stuff of that nature read next line.

This chapter has been edited and scrapped and re-written multiple times as of now. So please be gentle as I suck at editting my own work. Always on the look for a pre-reader if anyone is intersted ;).

Final note. I am doing a re-write on Lifes little twist and have written the next chapter for it. When the first two chapters have finished being redone I will update it.

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** Nightmares**

He held his wife in his arms as he ran. She was limp and covered in blood making her slippery in his arm, but there was no fear of him dropping her. Her head was cradled against his chest allowing the blood from his own wound to mingle with hers. He knew he was pushing his family, but in a place like Nerima anything that could go wrong would.

At Ukyo's restaurant Ranma handed his wife's body to his father-in-law as he entered. Ranma was unsure of what he would find inside so was careful to enter with little noise as possible. He let his sense stretch out and search for signs of life inside. He barely ducked, as a blade appeared where his head had been. The attacker was standing beside him and had a look of shock as Ranma came face to face with the young woman.

By her clothing Ranma knew she was another of Amazon assassins sent to kill him and those he cared for. With out hesitation Ranma grabbed the assailant and struck her with his Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken. Her dead body hit the floor as Ranma ran to the stairs leading to Ukyo's private quarters. Konatsu's dead body covered Ukyo who was moaning.

Pulling Ukyo free from Konatsu he looked to see if she had any wounds. "Uchan are you ok?"

"Yeah I think so. Oh Konatsu…" sorrow crept into her voice, looking at the ninja that had saved her life. "Where is the bitch that killed him?" Anger quickly replaced sorrow as she grabbed her battle spatula from where it lay on the floor.

"Dead." The monotone answer scared her. Looking into Ranma's eyes she saw the normal glint of joy seemed impossible to destroy before was sadly missing. His blue eyes instead had a fire of anger that sought death. "Lets go." Without further word he pulled her outside and took his wife's body back.

As he cradled her in his arms he noticed multiple familiar ki's coming their way.

"It seems we will have a few more traveling companions tonight." Everyone looked surprised as more of their friends came straggling up.

Ranma quickly appraised the group that was gathering around him. Ryoga had several deep scratches covered him, but otherwise he was ok, beside him was Akari crying in his arms. Shampoo and Cologne looked to have seen battle this night also, but were no worse for wear. Tatewaki Kuno carried Mousse's body in his arm. Sorrow on his face showed he was last of his clan. Mousse was breathing, but otherwise unconscious. Among the Tendo's, Soun carried Genma's body, Nabiki and Kasumi helped Nodoka as she was falling apart at the night's events.

Ranma looked around one last time then came to a simple solution. Tonight they would leave Nerima, but he was far from through with these amazons. "We must head to the west to Mt. Fuji. Pops and me have trained there several times. Plenty of places to hide out till we can regroup and make plans."

Everyone just nodded. Running to the west no one said a word, but everyone was sure they had heard Ranma start crying over his dead wife and unborn child as he ran. As morning broke they where clear of Tokyo and making quickly for their destination. None had argued with Ranma but it was quickly become clear that Ranma would not make the trip without medical help.

Before anyone could say anything to him about it he knelt down laying Akane on the ground. Looking back at everyone else only the faint whisper escaped his lips, "Sorry". He collapsed beside his wife body unconscious.

**Network**

Ranma woke with a start and a scream, his hand on abdomen where the axe had cut and sitting up quickly. 'The training and beatings I took over the years made it hard for the blade to cut me.' As this thought crossed Ranma's mine his battle senses flared awake with him. Someone was in the room with him and that person had their hand on his shoulder. It was this way most mornings and that hand seemed to be all it took to calm him down.

"Hi Kasumi." Never turning to look to the eldest Tendo beside him, he lowered his head and let the cobwebs finish clearing their way out of his head.

"Good morning Ranma." Kasumi knew he had the nightmare again. It was the one thing that held him to his course of action, but it was the one thing that also wouldn't let him get past the events of three years ago. "I need to go start breakfast, Ryoga and Ukyo are on surveillance duty. Would you mind getting them for breakfast."

"Sure." He turned and gave Kasumi a weak smile.

She stood up and walked from the room. At the door she stopped and gave a warm smile to Ranma. "Also four new recruits showed up last night while you where asleep." Kasumi studied the worried expression on Ranma's face. 'What I would give to see one of his old smiles back. While he may finally be getting over Akane's death, he still lets no one inside the shell he has created around himself.

"Ok I will go so to them after I get Ryoga and Ukyo."

Without any further words Kasumi left the room.

Ranma stood from the futon he had slept on and made his way to the door. 'Four new recruits hey. I hope Nabiki did a full check up on them.' Laughing to himself Ranma realizes the mistake of his comment. 'She always make sure everyone is put through the wringer before they are brought here.'

The Nerima Wrecking Crew had grown with some exceptional new recruits. They received training at the mountain dojo Ranma and Ryoga had built in the side of the cliff. Nabiki still had her network of underlings hiding in the now Amazon controlled Japan. While for the most part people lived life like normal in the cities, the hunt for Ranma and company had not stopped, yet the Amazons had kept failing and losing people. While every time they faced off, Ranma seemed to have more people with him. 'I sometimes wonder how Nabiki does it.'

_(Flashback – a few months after the escape)_

"Look Ranma I know you want to fight them, Kami knows I want them dead also, but even if the numbers where in our favor, and I remind you they are not, they are better organized." Nabiki finishes her statement with a sigh.

Ryoga, Mousse and Shampoo where doing all they could to hold Ranma from taking off to fight till he died.

'Since recovering from his wound he has wanted nothing more then to kill all the Amazons and I so wish he could but we need his skills here.' Turning once more to Ranma, Nabiki goes to her only trump card left.

"What would Akane want you to do? You know we need you here till we have all the intelligence I can gather from people still living in Tokyo." The comment about Akane was enough to settle him down, but it would just be a day or so till he would snap again. Nabiki sent her mind into overdrive to solve this problem. To give Ranma a new purpose was what she needed.

Over the next few weeks Nabiki put her plans into action. If everything worked properly Ranma would still get his revenge and a purpose to keep from throwing his life away for no reason.

The plan was simple. They needed reinforcements and they had possibly the best martial artist and instructors alive here. So she set forth her plans of recruitment and training.

_(Flashback – end)_

**Attack**

'Man if I didn't know any better I would say this spring air was colder then most winter nights.' Ryoga was shivering a little as he looked over the cliff edge. The Amazons he had been tracking since before sun up, where camping a couple hundred feet below at the cliffs bottom.

Ukyo watch her companion and knew that the recruits that had arrived the night before had been followed. This had always been a concern that someone might find them. Yet they had gotten lucky and got the new recruits away before the Amazons had found their headquarters.

"So the group following us has about fifteen Amazon warriors, also at least one elder. I guess they are getting concerned with our recent actives." Ukyo's comments seemed to bother Ryoga as the young man turned to her.

"I guess we need to contact base and start making plans then."

"Already did."

A startled expression clearly etched itself across both of the companions face. Turning quickly Ryoga found his-self facing Ranma.

"You and that damn Umi-senken are going to give someone a heart attack one day." Ukyo just stared at her best friend. The fire of vengeance grew in his eyes as he looked over the edge of the cliff. Every time they had found themselves against the Amazons Ranma's attitude seemed to get this glint in his eye. He had long since stopped calling his-self a martial artist, as Cologne had put it, he was now a blooded warrior, and for all his worth he seemed willing to live up to that title.

"Ryoga we will make them regret coming up the mountain. Bakusai Tenketsu at the edge should start a nice landslide. I don't want them all dead just yet, just seriously weakened forces will be good. Some of the new recruits need some practical experience." Ranma had made it a simple order and the plan was solid.

Ryoga wouldn't lose any sleep over a few less Amazons, but even he had problems killing so maliciously. Yet he understood Ranma was not a cold blooded murder, but when it came to the Amazons he had lost any and all compassion he once held for opponents.

The attack on the Amazon war party began with an explosion of gravel. With the smaller rocks jostled loose the bigger boulders quickly followed suit and began to rain down. In moments 6 Amazon warriors were dead and many more were injured.

"Ok breakfast should be ready. Lets head back and plan for the assault on the remaining forces." Ranma turned from the carnage they had caused below and led his friends back home.

The trip was held in silent contemplation of what they had been forced to become over the last several years. None liked what they had to, not even Ranma enjoyed the daily blood bath his life had become, but they would continue to fight as long as there was life in them. The return of Japan to its people and a chance at a normal life meant to much to them all to do anything less.


End file.
